As I’m a very
broad-minded Christian lady and although I don’t have time to go to church
myself, I’m very keen to understand why anyone would choose not to benefit from
the love of our saviour.
I’m well known
for being kind and considerate and I endeavor to remain at all times open
minded and keen to learn, so I spoke recently to the head of the Human Atheists
cult, Andrew Copson to find out more about their ways and beliefs.
Hello
Andrew please could you state your full name for the record?
Andrew
Copson
Thank you we
will begin gently with a light question to put you at your ease. Is that all
right with you?
Go
ahead.
What is your
favourite flavour of ice cream, why do you hate God and why are you trying to
ban religion?
I don't hate
god because I don't believe that such a thing exists, though I don't like what
the idea of god makes some people do. I don't want to ban religion, though I do
want to end the discrimination and privilege that many religions perpetrate and
which the law in the UK currently allows. My favourite ice cream is cherry and
chocolate.
Why do you
want to destroy the institution of marriage by calling for equal marriage?
It is already equal as it is open to both ladies and men, who are quite at
liberty to marry one another. Also I’m married so that must mean that you hate
myself and my husband. WHY DO YOU HATE MYSELF AND MY HUSBAND ANDREW?
I'm sure your
husband is a perfectly charming, civilized and long-suffering man. The argument
for equal marriage is simple. (1) Gay and bisexual people should not be
discriminated against in access to human and civil rights. (2) The right to
enter into a legal marriage is a civil right. (3) The right to legal
recognition for your marriage should therefore be extended to same-sex couples.
Rather than destroy the institution of marriage such a reform would strengthen
it, by making it more relevant to our more tolerant and open society.
Why are you
trying to ban Christmas? Does that not, by extension mean that your
organization hates love and family and presents?
I love
Christmas. Not just because I love spending time with my family and giving
presents, though I do, but because I think it's good to have a moment in the
year when you take a step back, rest, and in the depths of winter, remember
that we are halfway through it and that there is light and warmth in the world.
That is the purpose of mid-winter festivals all over the word and was the
purpose of them long before Christianity co-opted it and called it Christmas.
Can we address
the fact that you are trying to ban the Boy Scout Movement. Brownie movement
and Girl Guide movement. I myself was a sixer, and my husband Piers was very
fond of his woggle Andrew, so I ask you this .Why? YES OR NO.
Both the
Scouts and Guides say they want to be inclusive of all young people. A majority
of young people are not religious and a very large number don't believe in any
gods. By making and oath or a promise to god compulsory, any organization is
clearly not inclusive. If they want to be inclusive, they have to let in
non-religious young people join.
Human Atheists
claim that they don’t believe in God, Surely by choosing not to believe in God
you are believing that He exists?
Firstly, you
can't just 'choose' what to believe exists. If you think something might exist
you go me look for evidence that it does. If you find such evidence, it's a
good provisional conclusion that the thing in question exists. I can't see any
good evidence to believe in and god, so I don't.
Michael Gove
recently decided that he was introducing the teaching of The Theory of
Evolution by known crackpot Charles Darwin to primary schools. How can you
support this? Aren’t children deserving of our love and protection rather than
being taught fairy tales and rumour?
In their
science lessons, children should be taught ideas that have been subject to
scientific investigation and have known validity as a result. Evolution is one
such idea. It is foundational to modern biology and if our children don't learn
it, they will be justifiably thought ignorant in the eyes of the world and
embarrassingly so.
In terms of
aggressive human atheists Andrew, none is more sneakily aggressive than the
well-known quiet explainer Professor Richard Dawkins. He may use measured
tones and well thought out reasoned argument, but it’s simply a ruse
Andrew. As you adopt the same approach please explain why we should listen to
this offensive nonsense?
I don't mind
whether you listen or not. But I do think that reasoned argument, good manners
and an open approach are a good way to conduct discussions in a civilized
society. I hope you come to think so too.
Why do you
want to ban the wearing of crucifixes? This is clearly oppressing and offending
many people. Why?
I don't want
to ban the wearing of religious symbols but there are some circumstances where
the wearing of them might conflict with an obligation of employment or affect
the rights of others, and then we need to balance rights. An example is a
primary school teacher who wants to wear a burqa. This would clearly interfere
with her ability to do her job and the right of children to education.
Another
example is a nurse who wants to wear a cross on a chain when working on wards.
If it dangles in a way that might interfere with his duties, then it is
reasonable to ask him to tuck it away or wear it on a pin instead. If a
therapist working with people traumatized by clerical sex abuse wants to wear a
visible crucifix, we might say that was inappropriate and insensitive or
damaging to her vulnerable clients and say she could not do so.
You seem to
have many supporters in the “show business community” can we understand from
this that human Atheists have infiltrated every level of society to a
TERRIFYING degree?
You can if you
want to. Or you could take it as an indication that more and more people in
every sphere of life are seeing the benefits of standing up for values and
meaning in the here and now, a more humane approach to ethics, and a more open
and fair society for all. I welcome that, perhaps some people may find it
terrifying and I'm sorry that you do. But the right approach to fear
is not to let it turn into anger and hate, but to be brave. If we are
afraid because we feel in danger, we must be rational, cultivate a
disinterested perspective from which to assess the real threat. If we are
afraid because we do not understand something, we must have intellectual
courage: be brave enough to explore and be curious.
If we are
afraid of someone because we do not know them, we must take a leap and try to
know them: be brave enough to understand them, try to use our empathy and
imaginative sympathy.
Maybe you
could try that?